Brain power Quote by Margaret Heffernan
““When we are tired or preoccupied - what psychologists call 'resource-depleted' - we start to economise, to conserve those resources. Higher-order thinking is more expensive. So too is doubt, scepticism, arugment. 'Resource depletion specifically disables cognitive elaboration,' wrote Harvard psychologist Daniel Gillbert...Because it takes less brain power to believe than to doublt, we are, when tired or distracted, gullible. Because we are all biased, and biases are quick and effortless, exhaustion tends to make us prefer the information we know and are comfortable with. We are too tired to do the heavier lifting of examining new or contradictory information, so we fall back on our biases the opinions and the people we already trust””
About This Quote
Source Article: Harvard Business Review, “The Cognitive Cost of Fatigue”, 2020
When mental energy is low, people default to familiar beliefs and avoid complex reasoning, making them more gullible and biased.
In simple terms: Tired brains favor easy answers and familiar ideas.
Key Takeaway
Guard against bias when fatigued.
Themes
cognitive bias
decision making
mental fatigue
information processing
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
advice
psychological
observational
When to use this quote
- work meetings
- online news consumption
- political debates
- personal relationships
- studying
Key Concepts
resource depletion
heuristics
confirmation bias
effortful control
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you recognize when you’re relying on bias?
- What strategies help maintain critical thinking under strain?
A Different Perspective
Even when rested, entrenched habits can still bias judgment.
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